Which do you prefer, subs or dubs?

Seed

Dubbed seems nice in a sense that you can concentrate on what's going on more as opposed to dividing your attention by having to read what's being put up on screen aswell as watching the action.

But dubbed versions are usually translated fairly crappily and so on. So, I go for subs.

TCamen

Dubbed seems nice in a sense that you can concentrate on what's going on more as opposed to dividing your attention by having to read what's being put up on screen aswell as watching the action.

Yeah that's about the *only* thing I don't like about subtitles, sometimes in the middle of some big action sequence there's dialogue and it gets in the way! Then again, just re-watch it minus the subtitles

CuLT

Actually, is there anyone who managed to catch all of the subtitles the first time round watching the End of Evangelion?
The bit at the start with all the scientists talking...

Makaveli

Subs as often as possible.
If I start watching it subbed I can't watch it dubbed. Even though the Cowboy Bebop dub is one of the better ones I can't watch it, it's like watching a totally different program.

The hardest sub I've ever had to read was one of the GITS:SAC episodes. The one with the internet chat room discussing the Laughing Man. I must have watched that four or five times just to pick it all up, not that the subbing was bad, just that it was so complex.

BlitzKrieg

personnally im easy either way.

I think which one you see it in first affects it.

For example i saw both dragonball z and Tenchi muyo dubbed first time (on cartoon network loved tnechi muyo hated dbz)

and i would always perfer to watch either dub over sub just cause its how i picture the series (but i dont freak out and demand it dubbed, i've gone through the tenchi muyo ova with both and while i perfer the dub the sub can be funnier with some of the lines that have been *toned* down for the western audiance)

On the other hand Trigun and Love Hina i saw subtitled first.

Now love hina is the same as tenchi muyo i am so accustomed to the characters sounding that way that i dont enjoy it as much dubbed.

Trigun is brilliant no matter what way you watch it so i dont care.

now as i finish this argument i become aware...the dub to some shows are bloody awefull. ESP. the Love Hina one. so maybe i'm just full of Sh*t and subs are generally better unless the makers give a half decent dub.

Good dubs:
Trigun
Tenchi Muyo
Cowboy Bebop

bad dubs:
Love Hina


-crap i've forgotten my anime collection...will be back with it dug out later.

elvenscout742

I generally prefer to watch all films in their native language with subtitles, but the really good ones that I watch over and over can get slightly repetitive, so I prefer to watch both in the end.

Steven

BlitzKrieg wrote:

For example i saw both dragonball z and Tenchi muyo dubbed first time.

I'd feel very shortchanged if I actually had to read DBZ. *shudders*
That said, I'm sure they just make up some of the conversations just to get them to fit, thus making it look even more childish than it already is.

Asuka

Subbed here. Or raw, depending on the series.

A

munkeehaven

has to be subs....i like listening to the languages even if i dont understand any of it..but you do pick up a few words here and there....

Lantis

I'm going to be the black sheep here and say raw.

Why?

Because the subs distract me and muddle my mind between languages.

Cloud

I prefer subs, but well done dubs can be very good (e.g. my favourite dub is Ranma).

Infini

Subbed is usually better. DVD are even better with the dual audio.Your able to listen to the original audio and compare the difference with the dubbed version.
Also some of the smaller production companys tend to have more gaffs in the dubbed versions if you take a closer look.

projectmayhem

dubs are always good if the voice acting is up to scratch and the dialog matches the characters' mouths, but i've no big issues with subs

Art_Wolf

Personally I prefer Subs, listened to a good few dubs and there are a few I prefer Dual Audio is the way to go as Infini says

Full_Circle

I realise that many here are purists and I’m probably going to be crucified for saying this, but I generally prefer dubbed over subbed where animation is concerned. A few reasons:

All animation is dubbed, since its all voiceovers. I wouldn’t watch a live action movie dubbed because it’s too jarring and obvious and takes me out of the movie completely. With animation however, the effect of dubbing doesn’t feel as out of place. I’ll admit that while poor voice acting, badly timed sync and adjusted translation can ruin an anime, I genuinely think that they are making improvements in this regard. Taking the latest Ghibli movies as an example, where a stellar cast of actors and a thought-out translation are applied, I think that a dubbed movie can be made more enjoyable and accessible to a wider audience.

Another reason I prefer dubs to most subs would be the visual aspect. For me, one of the main attractions of anime is the gorgeous visuals. I quite often find that subtitles take from my enjoyment of the animation itself, as I’m concentrating more on the words than the overall scene. While the same may be true of live action subbed movies, there is far more to appreciate on screen in an anime, than in any live action movie.

Another reason would be the fact that I’ve found the plot of some anime to be a little overwhelming (maybe its just me, but some tend to benefit from repeated viewings). Reading a lot of plot heavy exposition can be a little tiring on the eyes, and you find you are concentrating on keeping up with the text, rather than taking it all in and fully experiencing the moment.
Lastly, there is something to be said for the kitsch value of a poor dub, which I tend to look at fondly as a staple of older, cheaper anime productions (those which would have initially drawn me to the movement, all those years ago!)

And so ends my little rant
Go easy on me lads and ladies, I bruise easily

CuLT

Point taken Full_Circle, it is easier to watch dubs than keep up with subs; the way I see it, if the dub happens to be good then give it a shot.

However, I think the first time you watch anything it should be in the original japanese. Story elements are oftentimes changed in the dubbing process to ensure that the language of the characters appears natural.
Also, if you're unlucky, the music will be changed, or certain sounds effects.

I'll usually only watch a dub after the character has been set by the japanese voice, after all, that's how the maker intended it. I've seen some terrible bastardisation of characters simply because the dubbing actor who played the character decided to give their character a different tone of voice.
Nadesico being a prime example where they turn Ruri, a young girl with a soft voice, almost emotionless composure and subtle wit, into a brash and sassy character with a sarcastic sneer to her voice.

That's the amount of difference a dub can make, which is why I'm very wary of them.

pingoo

The problem with Dub is that somethimes the anime quality is destroyed for various reasons. As an example, in France 15 years ago, they releases Hokuto No Ken but those idiots decided to show it at around 9.00 on wednesday morning while all the kids are watching. Results the comity of censor decided that it was really a shame for kids to watch this so instead of losing money and showing the show really late at night as it was in Japan as Hokuto No Ken is simply "violent", they decided to change the dub to make it funny. the end results is just a horrible translation that has nothing to do with the original show and it completely killed the all interest of the show.

Also another problem that arise with Dub is that some country will Dub their anime using not the Japanese but some other version. For example, Funimation in the states used the French version of Dragon Ball Z for the first 63 episodes but that was a real mistake because the Dub of DBZ were horrible in France and were also censored exactly like Hokuto no Ken. Thats why in some cases Dub is just horrible, not because of the bad acting but because it has been translated incorrectly ...

americanCat

i used to watch dubs a lot because that was the only thing on tv.. then my friend introduced me to subs and now anything dubbed just sounds strange.. unfortunately tho, i don't know enough japanese to watch anything raw ^^;;

neoB

Subbed way over Dubbed any time.

Asuka

I wouldnt crucify you for preferring dubs, Im just going to make a couple of observations

Full_Circle wrote:

I’ll admit that while poor voice acting, badly timed sync and adjusted translation can ruin an anime, I genuinely think that they are making improvements in this regard. Taking the latest Ghibli movies as an example, where a stellar cast of actors and a thought-out translation are applied, I think that a dubbed movie can be made more enjoyable and accessible to a wider audience.

I completely agree with this. The bigger release movies, such as the Miyazaki stuff, are getting some great dubs now, and Im perfectly happy to watch them dubbed - although I still prefer subbed, probably just because it seems more natural to me by now. Anyway, the dubbing is good enough not to take away from the movie, and it makes it far more accessible to people who wouldnt usually watch anime.

On the other hand, dubbing on less mainstream anime - like TV series - is uniformly atrocious. Some is, of course, better than others - but these are NOT big name actors at work, they are people who cant get a job in American daytime television. Yes, folks, THAT bad. If they hadnt got lucky with these heathen cartoons, theyd be sitting outside with a hat on the ground.

Ok, thats going a little overboard in most cases, but as you can imagine, Im not overly impressed with the bulk of american dub-actors. They make little or no attempt to match the lip flaps, let alone actually mirror the voice acting of the original VA (or in some cases, the original script ). Many of the ones foolish enough to add a commentary track to DVDs talk about their 'interpretation' of the character... as if they are in some way qualified to re-write the part without the presence of the original director - or, in many cases, even the other American VAs (a lot of anime dubbing is done character specifically, then mixed together - which can make for some pretty odd conversation flows, as you can imagine).

This sort of dubbing is not a good reflection on the anime - in my case, it totally ruins any immersion. Having said that, a bad sub can do exactly the same thing - but theyre not as common. Subbing process goes translate -> edit. Dubbing goes translate -> edit -> additional edit for time sync (if not lip flap sync) -> VA interpretation -> actual voice acting. What you get at the end is a rough approximation wrapped in some bad delivery.

Another reason I prefer dubs to most subs would be the visual aspect. For me, one of the main attractions of anime is the gorgeous visuals. I quite often find that subtitles take from my enjoyment of the animation itself, as I’m concentrating more on the words than the overall scene. While the same may be true of live action subbed movies, there is far more to appreciate on screen in an anime, than in any live action movie.

This is just a matter of experience, I guess. I have always watched subs, and got used to reading them while missing none of the action. At the beginning, I guess it was unfamiliar - I cant really remember - but at this point it really is not an issue at all. You begin to pick up phrases in no time at all, which helps, and after a few months Im sure youd be able to watch it as casually as any other TV show, if you wanted to. Even if you miss words in the sub here or there, you can pick up the gist a lot easier - and as you ear becomes more familiar to Japanese, watching american dubs becomes worse and worse, as you can pick up the tonal differences just as easily as you would be able to in English - but without the disadvantage of poor voice acting.

Or you could just learn Japanese, although that option is not for everyone ^^ Ive been formally learning two and a half years now, and Im just about at the point where I watch some shows raw Its a major endeavour to take that path

The other major advantage of subs is, of course, the common availability of fansubbed material. Freely downloadable, and plenty of it You can watch Japanese shows that aired yesterday without a trace knowledge of Japanese In fact, a lot sooner that many Japanese people, in a lot of cases - since terrestrial TV networks are often localised in Japan

Yes, some fandubbing exists, and yes, it is 100% bona fide woeful. No argument.

A